UMHS excels in quality report

The University of Michigan Health
System (UMHS) has scored high on a new report card
for Michigan hospitals, far exceeding recommended requirements for delivering complex health care.

UMHS did very well across the board in the
first Michigan Health & Safety Coalition hospital
survey, conducted by an independent research firm and released last week.

In six of eight categories of care, UMHS
practices completely met the tough recommendations of
the coalition's guidelines, earning a "four bullet"
rating. In the other two categories, UMHS was at
95 percent or higher compliance with the
guidelines, earning three-bullet ratings.

The survey also looked at hospital experience
in seven categories of specific medical and
surgical care, because research has shown that patient
survival is better at hospitals that perform more
than a certain number of particular procedures
each year. In all seven categories, UMHS staff
performed many more procedures or cared for many more patients in a year than the minimum
number set by the coalition.

"We hope our staff will take pride in our
result, and that our patients and their families will
take comfort in the fact that they chose one of Michigan'sand the nation'sbest medical
centers for their care," says Larry Warren,
executive director of the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers.